Orissa BJP Minister resigns

Bhubaneswar, Apr 29 (UNI) Orissa Minister of State for Labour and Employment Pradeep Nayak, who was accused of submitting false affidavit on criminal cases pending against him during the filing of nomination papers in 2004 Assembly Elections, today resigned from the post.

Mr Nayak submitted his resignation to BJP Orissa Secretary Panchanana Rout after he was asked by the party leaders to do so.

The minister's resignation came after State Chief Electoral Officer(CEO) Alaka Panda confirmed that Mr Nayak had given a false affidavit during the filing of nomination papers, without stating that criminal cases were pending against him.

On verification, the CEO said, it was found that some criminal cases were pending against him when he had filed his nomination papers from Bhawanipatna Assembly constituency in 2004 elections.

The BJP sources said Mr Nayak would formally submit the resignation to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik after his arrival from Bangalore this afternoon, along with Rural Development, Industry and Law Minister B B Harichandan and Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal.

The state BJP unit has sought time from the Chief Minister so that Mr Nayak along with Mr Harichandan and Mr Samal could meet to complete the formalities of tendering resignation.

Mr Nayak would be the third minister in the Naveen Patnaik government to tender resignation during the last two months.

Minister of Science&Technology and Water Resource Minister Rabi Narayan Nanda had quit the post in March in the wake of certain observation against him by the Inquiry Commission, which probed into the 2002 liquor tragedy in Puri.

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